


Know the Water's sweet, but Blood is thicker

by momopeachchild



Series: Dragon Age Writings [17]
Category: Dragon Age - All Media Types, Dragon Age II
Genre: F/M, Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-01-15
Updated: 2020-01-15
Packaged: 2021-02-27 09:00:32
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,062
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22264495
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/momopeachchild/pseuds/momopeachchild
Summary: In which Hawke and Anders meet just who runs the Mage Underground.
Relationships: Anders/Female Hawke
Series: Dragon Age Writings [17]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/210650
Kudos: 4





	Know the Water's sweet, but Blood is thicker

**Author's Note:**

  * For [against_stars](https://archiveofourown.org/users/against_stars/gifts).



Aveline once asked him if the Underground had come about once he’d settled in Kirkwall. Hawke had also looked interested in the answer, and while Anders was tempted to lie to them, and tell them yes; he was the linchpin to the whole operation, take him down and the whole thing would fall. It would have been a convenient lie, in case something were to go horribly wrong. Hawke could be captured and tortured for information. Aveline could decide she had had enough of this bullshit. Anders didn’t quite trust her, after all she _had_ married a templar.

But it hurt his heart to lie to Marian. So he merely gave a noncommittal hum, and pulled off his apron before turning to grab his cloak. Maker knew where they were going today, and Anders didn’t want to get caught in the rain unprepared again. And as they walked out of his clinic, he saw the quick look Marian had thrown him, and he knew that it would all come out eventually.

Late that night, so late it was nearly morning, they stumbled back to Hawke’s estate. They’d gone through six cave systems, and wound up covered in more darkspawn and spider guts and undead dust than Anders ever remembered being covered in when he traveled with Cosette. Ah, Cosette, he missed the brat sometimes. As he cleaned himself off the best he could, he found his mind wandering to the bratty seven year old child who’d worked her way into his heart, and more what he knew about her family. More than she might have at the time.

Too exhausted to try for anything flirty as he wandered into his and Marian’s room in naught but a towel, he smiled as she pulled the blanket back for him, and he found it was blessedly warm. Curling up against her, he hummed happily as her arms wrapped around his waist and pulled him close. It was a cozy, domestic scene. Until Marian asked. She knew he had avoided the question, and she wanted to know so she could help.

“I’m one stop, darling. One of many. The woman who organizes everything, funds everything in secret. She’s-- I’ve never met her, it’s not safe to know more than one or two faces at a time. Most of the time when I go, or when people are brought to me, those who are helping, I”ve never seen before, and I’ll never see again. But it’s a well known secret in the Underground who our benefactor is. Hell, I still hear nobles whispering about her sometimes in the street. Especially, when they past by here. I know your mother doesn’t always like speaking of her. Whether it’s too painful, or to pitiful to her, I’m not sure. Though I think now she knows how Revka felt.”

The dark head that had rested on his shoulder shot up, Marian lifting herself onto one elbow and frowned down at him. “Revka? Revka Amell?”

“Yes, your mother’s cousin. Her daughter, Cosette was the reason she started to help. Now she’s..I think she’s just hoping one day she’ll pass through. One contact told me how she used to go on runs herself, hoping to see someone. It wasn’t hard for me to connect the dots after that. I hope she knows what her daughter’s doing now.”

Nodding, his lover settled back down, and he could see gears slowly turning in her head. He wanted to warn her, tell her not to get involved more than she had. It wasn’t safe, and if they were to bring Revka into the public light with this.

But it didn’t matter, because his beloved had a plan, for once. And Leandra apparently was willing to go along with it. They dressed him up in nicer clothes than he’d ever thought to own, and set out as a family to go calling. Leandra had been doing a lot of that, but she’d avoided her cousin for fear of causing her more grief. 

And Anders had to say when they were received, she put on a good show of still being utterly bereft, lost in her grief. He could see the true lines of it carved around her eyes, and what was once a smooth and beautiful heart shaped face had grown a little weathered with age and a pain Anders knew intimately. Still her eyes were sharp behind her act, and when their eyes met, she gave him the slightest of nods.

Lunch went well, and honestly Anders had forgotten the lad’s name, Revka’s son had offered to show Leandra the gardens at his mother’s encouraging. The furball went with, and it was just Revka, Marian and himself. The servants were dismissed and the door was locked quickly. Once assured they were alone, her face changed.

It was a bit more stoic, calculating as she looked over the two before her and tilted her head.

“Well what do you want?”

“To come calling with my moth–”

“I’m not a fool, Serah Hawke. I know who it is that sits next to you. What do you want?”

Anders cleared his throat softly, and shifted slightly.

“Cosette was well last I saw her. She was saving Fereldan, again.” he offered, and there was a slight crack in the stoic look the woman before them had. “She’s doing so much good, my lady.”

“I know what my daughter gets up to, Serah Anders. It’s hard to not notice when your daughter is named the Hero of Fereldan. What do you want?”

He bowed his head a little, and just told her he merely wished to meet the woman who gave birth to the woman so dear to him. Nodding, she stood and indicated that their conversation was over. She led them out into the gardens where they reunited with Leandra, and they were soon on their way. Anders didn’t think much else would come from the meeting.

Until, a month later, a crate full of supplies was sitting in front of his clinic. Unmarked, no letter, but a small bird crest was found at the bottom, under the elf root and bandages, and tied to some poles to set up some new cots. Grinning widely, he turned around and went back to get Marian to help him move the box into his clinic and get started.


End file.
